The latest $725 million aid package includes artillery ammunition, air defense missiles, and multiple launch rocket system munitions.
A new $725 million military aid package for Ukraine has been announced by the US, utilizing existing Department of Defense supplies. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan previously indicated a significant increase in deliveries to Kyiv before the end of the current administration.
In a Monday press release, Secretary of State Antony Blinken detailed “another substantial allocation of urgently needed arms and equipment” for Ukraine. This $725 million shipment will be delivered “under previously utilized Presidential Drawdown Authority,” according to the statement.
The Pentagon confirmed the new installment, marking the 71st such package from the Biden administration since August 2021.
This shipment to Ukraine includes missiles for the NASAMS air defense system, Stinger missiles, Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) munitions, HIMARS multiple launch rocket system missiles, 155mm and 105mm artillery shells, drones, TOW and AT-4 anti-armor systems, small arms, and non-persistent land mines.
Last month, the Biden administration announced its first provision of land mines to Ukraine since the conflict escalated – a decision met with criticism from some Western human rights organizations.
Sullivan told ABC News on Sunday that Washington aims to “equip Ukraine with every tool possible to strengthen its battlefield position” and to bolster its negotiating position in any future peace talks with Russia.
“President Biden instructed me to oversee a substantial increase in military equipment deliveries to Ukraine, ensuring all funds allocated by Congress are utilized before the end of his presidency,” the official stated.
In late November, Politico reported, citing a White House Office of Management and Budget document sent to Congress, that the outgoing president had quietly requested an additional $24 billion in Ukraine-related funding. Shortly before, Biden wrote off $4.7 billion in forgivable loans to Kyiv.
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly pledged a rapid end to the Ukraine conflict. His supporters allege Biden is attempting to undermine any chance of a peaceful resolution.
Russia has consistently condemned Western arms shipments to Ukraine, asserting they only prolong the conflict unnecessarily without altering its trajectory.